Orange County resort tax checks in with decline

Orange County's resort-tax revenue was down for a third straight month in August, reflecting previously reported declines in local hotels' occupancy and average room rates.

The county said Thursday it collected $11.4 million from hotels and other short-term rentals, 2.4 percent less than in August 2007. Still, through the first 11 months of the county's fiscal year, collections were running $5.1 million, or 3.4 percent, ahead of the previous year's pace, according to the report from the Orange County Comptroller's Office.

"We've been feeling the effects of the economy for several months now," said Gary Sain, chief executive of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We're sort of going upstream right now."

Orlando-area hotel occupancy fell 2.6 percent in August compared with a year earlier, according to Smith Travel Research. And the local market's average daily room, $89.18, was 1.6 percent less than a year ago. (Smith Travel's survey doesn't include Walt Disney World hotels.)

The area's tourism industry is looking ahead to a revival of consumer confidence -- but realizes that September's resort-tax collections could be even worse, Sain said. A series of hurricanes, a gas shortage in Atlanta and the ongoing troubles on Wall Street are weighing on travelers, he said.

"Consumers have been just sort of paralyzed," Sain said. "It's just going to be a challenging time until this all settles down."